Railway-crossing structure.



No. 678,988. Patented July 23, |90l. H. C. STIFF.

RAILWAY CROSSING STRUCTURE.4

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Patented Iuly 23, 190|. H. C. STIFF.

RAILWAY CROSSING STRUCTURE.

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I-IENRY C. STIFF, OF JOI-INSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING STRUCTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming* part of Letters Patent N0. 678,988, dated July 23, 1901.

Application tiled November 27, 1900. Serial No. 37,941. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that LHENRY C. STIFF,of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Crossing Structures, of which the following is a full,clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to railway-crossing structures, and more particularly to structures which are used at grade-crossings in paved streets.

Certain features of my invention specifically relate to crossing structures in which one or both of the intersecting tracks include slotrails, as in cable and underground system electric railways.

My object is mainly to provide means of simple and efficient character for firmly securing together the various parts of the structure without multiplication of fastenin gs and without weakening or straining any of such parts.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

I attain these objects by the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway-crossing embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a Section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3, a perspective View of one of the paving-strips inverted; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 5 is a plan View, partly broken away, of a portion of the crossing structure.

The letter A designates the rails or railsections which form the crossing-tracks, B the guard-rails therefor, and C theangle braces or knees which fit the webs of the rails in the angles formed by the intersections thereof.

D designates slot-rails, which in accordance with my invention consist of lengths of ordinary T-rail, whose base-anges are cut away on the slot side in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 4 and which are secured in place by fitting their ends into recesses in the guardrails B. These lengths of T-rails not only securely brace the structure, but they also form slot-rails of sufficiently rigid character to prevent them from bending or springing to such an extent as to close or obstruct the slot.

The angle braces or knees C are usually thicker than the extent of the head and base flanges of the rails, as shown in Fig. 2, and are secured in place by throughbolts G, Whose heads and ends, together with the projecting portions of the knees, make it difticult to properly pave in and around the crossing. For the purpose, therefore, of providing a crossing With smooth paving-abutments members F, known as paving-strips, are provided. These strips are preferably integral iron castings varying in shape according to the location in which they are used. Those strips which are itted within the central portion of the crossing are of rectangular outline, cored out at the center for the pavement, while those which fit in the exterior angles of the structure are either of Lshape or U shape, according to whether they fit one or two angles. In each case, however, they are formed with horizontal iiange portions f, whose vertical edges abut the head of the adjacent railsections, with their upper surfaces substantially flush with the top surfaces of said sections, and with vertical ange portions f', on which they rest.

In order to avoid extra drilling or punching of the rail-sections and multiplication of fastenings, it is desirable to secure these paving-strips in placewby the saine bolts G, (or some of them,) whichsecure the angle braces or knees in place, and consequently the vertical portions f of the strips are provided at intervals with thickened portions f2, provided with bolt-openings g. Il", however, the nuts on the bolts G be screwed up sufficiently tight t0 properly secure the braces or knees, there is danger of putting sufficient strain on the cast -iron strips to fracture them. To avoid this, I make the bolt-apertures g of considerably larger size than the diameter of the `bolts and place in said apertures around the bolts collars or bushings H, whose inner ends bear against the knees or braces and whose outer ends form bearings for the nuts G', which are preferably countersunk in the IOO strips. (See Fig. 2.) The strips are also provided With lugs f3, which abut the webs of the rails.

By the construction and arrangement above described the ends G may be screwed up as tightly as necessary Without putting any Thei apertures g are preferably not large enough strain whatever on the paving-strips.

to pass the ends Gr' 5 but it is not of great importance by reason of the fact that the main oflice of the fastenings is to secure the strips against vertical displacement, and for the further reason that the strips in all cases have two or more arms or branches at an angle to each other each provided with a bolt, so that any movement which might be permitted if there `were but one bolt is effectnally checked by 'another bolt or bolts at an angle thereto.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I provde'a very simple and efficient means of securing the partsiirmly together 'Without 1n ultiplication of fastenings andwithout unduly 'weakening the rail-sections by reason 'of apertures therethrough. It will be readily understood 4that this part of my invention isr not limited 'i'n'application to crossing structures 'which embody slot-rails, 'as shown in Fig. 1, but that it may be used i'n all 'crossings.

'I do 'not Wish to be limited to the precise construction and arrangement which I have illustrated and described, since the details thereof may be varied without departing from r and having their ends secured to the said the 'spirit and scope ofmy invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure vby Letters llat-v ent, is-

1. In'a railway-crossin g structure, the combination with the rail-sections, angle braces` o'r knees, and paving-strips, of bolts extending through said parts, and collars or bushings on the said bolts, said bushings bearing at 'one end against the said braces or knees, and atl the other end forming a 'bearing for the nuts whiehsecure the bolts. Y

2. In a railway-crossing structure, the combina'tion with'the rails or rail-sections, the'angle braces or knees, and the paving-strips, having venlarged bolt-apertures therein, of bolts extending through the rails, knees and paving-strips, and collars or bushings on'sa'id bolts in said enlarged apertures, and bearing at one end'against the knees or braces, and at theother end forming bearings for the nuts Which secure the said bolts.

3. In a railway-crossing structure, the combination with the rails or rail-sections, the angle braces or knees, and the paving-strips, of a plurality of bolts securing said knees or braces to the rails, some of said bolts being also extended through the paving-strips, with nuts at the outer sides of the said strips, and bearing pieces interposed in said pavingstrips intermediate the knees or braces and the said nuts, whereby said strips are relieved from strains.

4. In a railway-crossing structure, the combination with the rail-sections, angle braces or knees, and paving-strips, of bolts extending through said parts, and collars or bushings on the said bolts and extending through said paving-strips, said collars or bushings bearing at one end against theknees or braces and at Ithe other end 'forming abear'ing for the nuts which secure'the said bolts, each of said strips yhaving bolts therethrough at ditferent angles.

5. In a railway-crossing structure, the'cembination with the rail-sections, angle braces or knees,and the paving-strips,of'the th roughbolts G, nuts G', and bushings or collars H extending through the said paving-strips and interposed between said nuts and the knees or braces.

6. Ina railway-crossing structure, the'cornbination with the rail-sections, and guardrails of the intersecting tracks, of the slotrails'consistin'g of lengths oi' T-rails having their base-danges removed on the slot sides guard-rails.

7. In a railWay-crossing'structure, the combina'tion with the rail-sections, and guardrails forming the intersecting tracks, of the slot-rails consisting of lengt-hs of T-rails having their base-lianges removed on the slot sides, and having their ends fitted into the said guard-rails.

8. In a'railWay-crossing structure, the'combination of the railsforrnin'g the intersecting tracks, the slot-rails, the-angle-braees-securingi'the various rails, thepa'ving-strips fitting the angles formed by said rails, and bolts which secure said angle-braces to the rails, and which also secure saidfpaving-'strips In testimony Whereoflha've affixed mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. STIFF.

Witnesses:

CoRA G.Cox, H. W. SMITH.

IOD 

